1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a grater with a cylindrical housing limited with a grating insert arranged in a rotatably fixed but exchangeable manner.
2. Description of Related Art
Graters, in particular cheese graters have been marketed by the applicant for many years with success on the world market. Because of their conceptional construction they may accommodate more grating product than traditional cheese graters which are formed pincer-like and have a grating drum driven by a crank. The grating drum is formed with the crank as one piece, held in the pincer-shaped housing and can be easily removed because it is not secured. Such graters are only designed for one grating fineness. Several drums with differing grating finenesses are not offered and would also require too much space because as mentioned they are connected to the crank as one piece.
Such graters are used for various foodstuffs. The most common application form is the use for grating cheese and thus hereinafter the grater may also be referred to as a cheese grater.
The form of the cheese graters of interest here comprises a cylindrical housing and the grater insert is formed as a grating disk of an essentially circular-disk-shaped planar sheet metal. The product to be grated lies in a coaxial receiving cylinder which is rotatably mounted in the cylindrical housing and has a diametrical wall as an entraining means. Centrally on the underside of the receiving cylinder there is arranged a carrier peg onto which the grating disk is stuck and is held in a secured manner by way of a split pin. The grating disk thus in the assembled condition is rigidly but rotatably held on the carrier peg and forms the base for the receiver of the grating product in the receiving cylinder. The receiving cylinder filled with grating product may be introduced by the user into the cylindrical housing so far until its lower end comes to lie on an inner annular shoulder of the housing. The grating disk has a multitude of peripheral recesses into which, in the position of usage, corresponding elevations of the annular shoulder engage. Thus the grating disk in the usage position may be rotated relative to the receiving cylinder but not relative to the housing. Into the receiving cylinder there may be introduced an axially displaceable pressing body by way of which the grating product can be pressed onto the grating insert. The pressing body has a diametrical slot into which the diametrical wall engages in the position of usage. With a rotary knob at the upper end of the pressing body this is rotatable and entrains the receiving cylinder with the grating product, by which this is moved over the grating insert and is grated.
In order to obtain fine or course grated product, various grating disks are offered. For changing the grating disk the receiving cylinder must be completely removed from the housing and the split pin pulled. Then the old grating insert may be removed and the new grating insert may be stuck on and secured again with the split pin. Thereafter the receiving cylinder may be filled with the grating product and introduced into the housing.
This procedure is perceived by the user to be partly complicated and thus there is a desire for a more simple exchange.
With the known graters the receiving cylinder must be introduced into the housing in an exact radial position. Otherwise, the elevations of the annular shoulder do not lie in the peripheral recesses of the grating disk. If on use the receiving cylinder is slightly lifted in the axial direction, the grating disk likewise loses its engagement on the housing. Without this counter bearing it co-rotates in both cases with the receiving cylinder and the grating product and it is no longer grated.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a device which alleviates these disadvantages, but retains the basic positive construction of the known device and exploits its tried and tested manner of functioning.
It is a further object of this invention to make available a device with which the product to be processed is not only grated but may also be rasped and/or cut into slices. Also, the device of this invention prevents the grating, rasping or cutting inserts which are not in use from getting lost.
The known apparatus of the applicant are mainly marketed as graters, in particular as cheese graters. In English speaking countries they are also known as cheese-mills. In the following specification, the terms grater, grate, grating product, grating insert, etc. are to be understood such that they also stand for rasping, shredding or slicing. According to the application, the product to be processed may be grated, rasped, shredded or sliced.